Desa Belyea’s upbringing inspired her to become a philanthropic funder. Growing up during the Great Depression, she witnessed the immense poverty experienced by others and learned that advocating for vulnerable populations was crucial. She recalled her father sharing that unhoused, starving individuals, commuting via trains, longed for things as simple as baloney sandwiches. “My family had limited means, but these unsheltered men had lost their jobs and homes and were in dire